State Dept. Halts Global Mine-Clearing Programs
Source: NYT
The U.S. State Department office that funds the clearance of unexploded munitions around the world has asked humanitarian demining organizations funded by the department to cease operations “effective immediately,” according to a surprise announcement early Saturday.
The email, sent at 6:26 a.m. by Karen R. Chandler, head of the State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, said the halt was “consistent with the president’s executive order on re-evaluating and realigning United States foreign aid.”
Officials who handle financial grants to the nonprofit demining groups will offer further guidance on Monday, Ms. Chandler’s email said. She ended by thanking the nonprofits “for the important work you do making communities safe.”
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It is unclear whether Mr. Rubio or the president understands that the presence of unexploded munitions threatens the lives of Americans as well, given that U.S. troops are often killed or wounded by hazardous battlefield munitions such as dud submunitions from cluster weapons. Such ordnance killed as many U.S. military ground troops during the 1991 Persian Gulf War as were lost to enemy fire.
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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/us/politics/mine-clearing-programs-state-dept.html
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